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Ways to Avoid Paramedic, Firefighter, and EMS Burnout

Everyone experiences stress in their career, but the types of stress experienced by paramedics, firefighters, and other EMS professionals is physically and emotionally demanding.

Emergency first responders have a high potential for serious injury on the job. They also work long shifts, many from 12 to 24 hours long, and have a front-row seat to traumatic events and life-and-death situations. As a result, many EMS professionals experience burnout, which can lead to low job performance, physical and mental health problems, and PTSD.

What Is Burnout?

Burnout can impact every area of a first responder’s life. It is part of the reason the average EMT only stays on the job for about five years.1

The term “burnout” was first coined in the 1970s by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. He defined the condition as “being exhausted, listless, and unable to cope due to the severe stress and high ideals experienced by people working in helping professions.”2

Burnout typically has three major symptoms:

  1. Exhaustion
  2. A lack of engagement with or withdrawing from the workplace and co-workers
  3. A negative attitude toward others and their personal goals

These symptoms can manifest in many ways, including:

  •     Poor job performance
  •     Poor nutrition
  •     Difficulty concentrating on everyday tasks
  •     Poor or ineffective sleep
  •     Nightmares or flashbacks
  •     Loss of interest in normal activities

Burnout is surprisingly common. Nearly half of all firefighters in the U.S. are likely to experience burnout and the health problems that accompany it.3 But there are things fire and EMS professionals can do to help avoid burnout.

Successfully Fighting Burnout

At an agency level, many organizations have established protocols to help first responders cope with stress, process traumatic incidents, and reach out to professionals when help is needed. Many departments have implemented critical incident stress debriefings. These sessions help first responders process their trauma early on to prevent PTSD. With sleep being such an important factor in dealing with stress, some departments are opting to schedule shorter shifts and highlighting the importance of restful sleep.

Individually, EMS and fire professionals can incorporate a variety of practices in their lives to help prevent burnout. These include:

  • Practicing mindfulness through meditation or yoga
  • Maintaining a consistent, enjoyable exercise routine
  • Prioritizing sleep
  • Talking to supervisors and family at the first signs of burnout
  • Developing hobbies like baking, gardening, writing, or painting to maintain a positive work-life balance
  • Setting obtainable professional goals to challenge yourself
  • Seeking additional support through friends, family, and professionals
  • Taking time to totally disconnect from your job by taking a vacation or turning off your phone or pager

As you develop healthy habits that provide you with time to decompress, you will have more energy at work and at home. 

1. Prioritize Your Time Off

In a position that demands so much from first responders, it can be difficult to follow through with vacations and taking regular breaks from work stress. Work calls or messages can encroach on your weekends or days off, making it difficult to get a true break. Days may flow together, and before you know it, you’ve worked weeks without taking a mental break in between.

Even if you feel fine or need the hours, keep in mind that completely disconnecting and taking a day off now and then will do more for you in the long-run. While it can be difficult to disconnect, talk to your supervisor to establish boundaries and schedule days when you can turn off your phone or pager, ignore the news, and completely free your mind from thinking about work. 

2. Identify Your Burnout Symptoms Early 

While burnout can manifest in ways as unique and individual as the person experiencing it, we’re going to discuss some of the more common types of burnout, their symptoms, and what you can do to start feeling like yourself again. 

  • The first is applying yourself too hard for too long. This form of burnout is common in the healthcare and fire industries. For many who experience burnout from working too hard, they may not identify or be able to pick up on the signs that their motivation is fading. If you’re feeling stressed, tired, or experiencing feelings of dread when thinking about your shift, be on the lookout for these symptoms4:  
    • Not getting enough sleep or not sleeping well 
    • Feeling exhausted during your shift and even away from work
    • Frequently experiencing feelings of stress, anxiety, fear, or dread during your shift or at the thought of work 
    • Enduring physical pain from overexertion (standing on your feet too long, grinding your teeth, experiencing stomach pain, eye strain, hand tremors, headaches, etc.) 
    • Chronic joint or muscle pain
    • Finding it difficult to focus 
    • Loss of appetite or digestion trouble
    • Weight gain or loss 
    • Supplementing sleep, energy, or happiness with substance use
    • Experiencing emotional extremes (anger, depression, sadness, loneliness, etc.)
  • The next type of burnout is harder to pinpoint but just as impactful to your overall health and well-being. Those who have spent years on the job may no longer feel challenged or fulfilled and often experience varying levels of complacency. If you’ve hit the ceiling of your healthcare career growth and have been exploring potential positions elsewhere, you may also be experiencing: 
    • Feelings of boredom or complacency
    • Lack of motivation to apply yourself on the job
    • A tendency to dismiss protocol or procedure details 
    • Procrastination or re-assigning tasks to others 
    • Emotional extremes (anger, depression, sadness, loneliness, etc.)
    • Health neglect
    • Relationship struggles 
    • Poor overall job performance

Though burning out looks different for everyone, treating it remains the same. Perhaps it’s time to take some time off, challenge yourself with something new, get some sleep, and check out some alternative career opportunities. 

3. Expand Your Prospects and Your Professional Goals 

For some, climbing the ladder in an emergency response career may be a challenge. Some positions may not provide frequent promotional opportunities, which can be frustrating for those looking for a new challenge. Regardless of where you’re at in your career and how you feel about it, considering and re-considering your professional goals should be a priority. 

If you aren’t challenging yourself frequently, then you’re probably not growing. To be a better firefighter, EMT, or healthcare professional, try taking an hour to sit down and consider where you want to be in the next few years. It might be enough to start considering your position in the next year, but for others, it might be best to focus on a 5-year plan. Who do you want to be? How do you want to get there? Does getting to your dream career require shifting gears or even starting over? 

Next, take a minute to explore the professional field. Keeping your eye on your alternatives is a great way to stay up to date on what opportunities are out there and waiting for you. A fresh perspective will work wonders on your professional prospects as well as on your personal health. 

Continuing Education Can Help

Seeking solutions for continuing education, or CE solutions, is another important component in fighting burnout. This will give you a chance to refresh your skills and build confidence in your current job performance. It also increases job satisfaction and opens doors for future career opportunities.

EMS and fire online courses are available through providers like CareerCert. Taking a course online allows professionals to gain valuable education without having to take time away from their day job. Courses can be completed when, where, and at what pace students desire.

If you’re ready to see how EMS, firefighter, or paramedic continuing education can help you be confident and prepared, explore the courses offered by CareerCert today. 

Sources

  1. Grayson K. Joining EMS? Here’s what you’re really getting into. EMS1.com. 2010, Oct 13. https://www.ems1.com/ems-education/articles/joining-ems-heres-what-youre-really-getting-into-KK702ab1ALBl96Rv/ 
  2. Farina AM. EMS burnout: Try this 4-step cure. EMS1.com. 2015, Nov 19. https://www.ems1.com/mental-health/articles/ems-burnout-try-this-4-step-cure-I4mxGm5dAyVb5q8A/ 
  3. Wolkow AP, Barger LK, O’Brien CS, et al. Associations between sleep disturbances, mental health outcomes and burnout in firefighters, and the mediating role of sleep during overnight work: A cross‐sectional study. J Sleep Res. 2019; 28:e12869. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12869
  4. Scott EMS. How to tell you have reached the point of burnout. VeryWellMind. 2019, May 3. https://www.verywellmind.com/stress-and-burnout-symptoms-and-causes-3144516

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